Circular-knitting machine



(1T0 Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

E. LIPPITT 8; W. POPE, CIRCULAR KNITTING MAUHINE.

N0, 425,617. Patented Ap1"-.'15,1890.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. LIPPITT 8:: W1 POPE. CIRCULAR KNITTING MAGHENB.

N0 425,617. PatntedApr. 15,1890.

327.5. 6 l xli'iwaoaeo/ I f J I g M3014:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIHU LIPPITT, OF ZANESVILLE, AND VILLIAM POPE, OF BFOYRUS, OHIO.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,617, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed March 14, 1889.

To (0Z5 whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we,ELIHU LIPPITT, residing at Zanesville, Muskingum county, Ohio, and ILLIAM POPE, residing at Bncyrus, VC rawford county,()hio, citizens of theUnited States, have invented certainnew anduseful Improvem cuts in OircularKnitting Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of our invention is to provide means for automatically widening and narrowing in knitting the heels and toes of stockings and socks in knitting-machines of that class known as circular, and particularly in that type of machines shown and described in the patents to Franz and Pope, Nos. 88,027, 99325, and 99A26; and our invention has for a further object to provide means for effecting the widening and narrowing and the turning at heels without dropping any stitches, but simply by throwing those needles desired out of action and bringing them into action again when desired.

To this end we construct our devices as described in the following specification, and we use such novel features as are particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an inside view of the outer or cam cylinder at that portion devoted to the raising and lowering of the needles when looping. Fig. 2 is an outside view of the same portion of the cam-cylinder, showing the devices whereby the various cams and guides within the cylinder are adjusted at various parts of the operation of the machine. Fig. 3 is an inside view of the carncylinder at a point about opposite to that shown in Fig. 2, and shows the widening-cam and guard-cam operating in connection therewith. Fig. 4 is an outside view of the same portion of the cam-cylinder as is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the camcylinder of a circular-knitting machine having our appliances attached thereto, showing the lever whereby the action of the various cams is secured. Fig. 6 shows detached detail views of one of the narrowing-cams of our machine. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of our lever, showing the depressingdever and the supporting-peg and spiral spring thereon for Fig. is a veractuating said lever in plan.

Serial No. 303,234. (No model.)

tical section through part of a knitting-machine, showing the mode of operation of the widening-cam in throwing down a needle. Fig. 9 is a detached detail view of the parts composing one of the cams or guides for switching off the needles.

A is the cam-cylinder of our machine, and A is the track upon which the needles run when holding the loops in readiness for ac tion.

B is the stitch caunwhich is of the ordinary shape, and which is adapted to be moved up and down by means of the screw B, Fig. 2, which may be turned by means of the milled head B Above the top of this cam is the guardcam 13 for receiving and guiding the needles when they are thrown out of operative position for narrowing. This guard has two wings B, which are adapted to keep the necdles from dropping into the space between the narrowing-cams and the stitch-cam. Below the junction of the wings B B" with the body of the cam 13 are square shoulders, as shownin Fig. 1, which serve as stops for the tilting cams. The cams O are guide-cams, which are fixed, and serve the purpose of co-operating with the pivotedraising-cams D and D to raise the needles into position to begin their stitch.

E and E are final guide-cams, which serve to direct the needles close up against the stitch-cam during the operation of taking stitches. As will be seen in Fig. 2, these raising and final guide-cams are pivoted on pins D and FF on the cams D and E and pins D and E on the cams D and E. These pins are provided with spiral springs D", which surround the same and tend to keep the cams in the position shown in Fig. 1.

F and F are tilting narrowing-cams, which, when out of operation, lie up against the sides of the stitch-cam, as shown at F. The tops of these cams lie up against theunder sides of the wings B, as shown, when not in opera- IOO dles. The cams F and F are borne upon outside levers F F, as shown. These levers are pivoted at F and F and have each a projecting pin F at their upper ends, which pin is squared to fit a hole F in the cam. At the other ends of these levers there are pins, one on each lever, as shown at F, Fig. 6. This is a yielding pin held outward by a spring, as shown, whereby there is induced a certain amount of friction bet-ween the end of the pin and the side of the cylinder and whereby the levers are held in any desired position. These projecting pins F project through slots in the outer cylinder, and when the levers are tilted one way or the other the cams F and F are thrown into the position shown at F or that shown at F. As will be seen at F, in the position for narrowing there is just sufficient space between the extreme point of the cam F and the point of the guide-cam O to permit the passage of a needle. A piece F is screwed or otherwise fastened to the outside of the cylinder, from which extend upward the springs F which bear against the sides of the levers F and F and tend to keep the cams F and F out from the stitchcam and in position to raise needles out of the working plane. These springs pass behind the lower ends of these levers, as shown, in order that said lower ends maybe brought into contact with the pins of the lever J, as hereinafter described.

Considering the position shown at F, it is seen that when the cam F is in its raised position, and the top thereof is tight up against the under side of the guard-cam, any needles coming along the track will be thrown up by the pivoted cam D and will pass under the points of the cams O and F and down along the under surface of the stitch-cam, against which they are kept tightly pressed by the spring-actuated pivoted cam E. On their farther journey the needles will turn up the cam D and proceed along their track; This is the action during straight-ahead circular knitting. The effect of tilting down the cams F or F is to take the first needle that arrives in the reciprocating of the cam-cylinder and throw it up onto the top of that one of said cams which has come into action, and thence upon the end of the guard-cam E the incline of which serves to carry the needle upward into a higher plane. By means of the friction devices which are always provided upon the needle-cylinder of knitting-machines of this class the needles will be kept in this plane until forced down into operative position by some positive device, and hence will be held up with the stitches upon them while the other needles are proceeding to make new stitches. \Ve have found that by making the narrowing-cams F and F substantially triangular in shape we obtain better results than by the employment of other forms, said cams being so poised upon their pivots F F that the first needle engaging with one of them acts almost in the horizontal plane of said pivot until it has risen through the action-of the cam out of this plane. As soon as this needle has risen a very little distance it will commence to act to tilt the cam into the position shown at F, as all the pressure of the needle will be above the pivotal point. Thus in the reverse direction of the cylinder the first needle that is presented to the cam F, after said cam has been thrown into the operative position, (shown in Fig. 1,) will be raised out of its operative position, as before described; but this needle will byit-s own action carry the cam F upward into the inoperative position, where it will be kept by the pressure of succeeding needles upon the lower surface of said cam, as will be understood upon investigation of the cam at F. Thus during each movement of the cylinder from side to side only the first needle in the row will be raised out of action and the remaining needles will all take stitches. This automatic actuation of the cams F and F is the simplest possible. One movement or swing of the cylinder having been completed, the pressure of the needles is removed from the lower face of the lifted cam F or F, and the corresponding spring F comes into play again to throw the said cams back into operative position before the commencement of the next swing of the cylinder. Another needle is then thrown out as before, and, as before, the cam which acts to raise a needle is immediately carried to the inoperative position by the pressure of the needle raised and held there by the succeeding needles as they come around.

Turning now to Figs. 3 and 4; the widening devices are shown. These are placed upon the opposite side of the cylinder from that occupied by the narrowing devices. On the outside of the outer cylinder is fastened a plate G, to the top of which is attached an overhanging guard G, which projects inwardly over the concave edge of the outer cylinder. The shape of this guard is approximately that shown in Fig. 3, (although itmay,

of course, be changed to correspond to the various degrees of widening that are to take place.) A slot G extends entirely through the wall of the cylinder and plate G. At the top of the plate G is pivoted the hanger G as at G". To the bottom of the hanger G is fastened an approximately square pin or bolt, which extends through the slot G To the end of the bolt G is attached the cam G, shaped as shown in Fig. 8, of substantially U form, with curved tips to conform to the shape of the guard at the point of contact of the guard and cam. This cam is adapted to be oscillated through the arc of the slot and thrown from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to that shown in dotted lines in the same figure.

Inserted in a rotatable pivot-head H is a retaining-pin II, which is pivoted at its other ISO end to the bottom of the hanger G at H and which is held outward from the pivothead H by means of the spring H compressed between the head Hand a shoulder H on the retaining-pin. This device tends to keep the cam G in position either at one or the other swing shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 8 is shown the operation of cam G to widen or throw the needles into position again upon their track A. In this figure the guard is shown as a part of the outer cylinder, instead of being a part of the plate G; but this is an immaterial detail, as the function and, indeed, the mode of operation will be the same whichever construction is employed.

I is the inner or needle-carrying cylinder, having grooves in which the needles I are carried, with their butts 12 resting upon. the track A of the outer cylinder. hen these needles have been thrown out of operative position by the narrowing-cams, however, they will be at such an elevation above this track as to come in contact with the end of the guard G and be thrust down again into a slightly-lower plane, the frictional engagement of the needles in the slots being sufficient to prevent their being further depressed before the cam G is thrown into operation. \Vhen said cam is thrown into operation, the needle at the end of the reciprocating row first comes over one of the beaks G of this cam, and as it presses against the same in its forward motion, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 3, it tilts or rather escillates 5l 1$ tt819 upon its pivot G" until the beak has left enough space between the cam and the guard to permit the passage of the next needles in order. The first needle as it advances far- -ther carries the cam with it all the way to needles pass over the top of the cam G and as they come to the contact point between the same and the guard they press the cam down against the action of the spring H just enough to allow of their passage past said point. Thus one movement of the cylinder restores one needle to the working position, and as the next movement is in the opposite direction the other side of the cam will be brought into operation, and the needle next thrown down will return the cam to the former posit-ion. (Shown in full lines in the figure.) Of course when the needles are all thrown back into operative position they will be so low down upon their track as not to come into contact with the cam at all.

.J is attached to the cylinder by any wellknown means, and to this plate at J 2 is pivoted a lever J. Around the pivot-pin J is carried a spiral spring J attached both to the plate J and to the lever, and by which the lever is kept in the position of depression the opposite of that indicated in the figure, except when held in the opposite position by the lever J pivoted to the lever at J I This lever is mounted upon a pivot on the lever J as shown in Fig. 7; but as it extends outward in a straight line it tends, when jammed in between the lever and the cylinder, to force cylinder it will conform in a measure to the shape of the cylinder. On each end of the lever J are placed pairs of pegs K and K, which extend inwardly from the lever and are designed to adjust the widening and narrowing cams oppositely and simultaneously. The pegs K are so placed as to span the hanger G of the widening-cam, and when that end of the lever is depressed these two pins slide down each side of said hanger and carry the same into a vertical position, thus bringing the widening-cam into a position, so that its top is approximately horizontal. lVhen thus placed, it is evident that the needles which may have been thrown up and out by the narrowing-cams will be allowed to pass one by one or altogether as they arrive over the widening can1 and under the guard thereabove. The pegs K are of course out of operation during this function of the pegs K; but when the other end of the lever J is depressed the pegs" K fii }ihiHSi7 1G FriHb etweenathelever F and F and the cams F and F are thus thrust up against the stitching-cam and out of operation, as shown at F. When thus placed, all the needles in normal depressed position that pass are acted upon by the stitchcam, and thus the knittingis continued. The pegs K are then of course out of operation and the widening-cam is at work, as described. The normal work is of course accomplished by the machine when the pegs are in the latter position and after the widening is completed, as then there will be no possibility of the action of either the widening or the narrowing cam.

The operation of our machine will then be ing with all the needles and the lever tobe held by the spring J in the position opposite to that shown in Fig. 5, with the pegs K down and the cams F and F held up out of action, as above described: hen it is desired to ver J is thrown into the position shown in Fig. 5, and the lever J thrust down between the lever J and the cylinder to hold the lever J in this position. The pegs K are thrust down over the sides of the hanger G and the widening cam thus taken out of opto come into play through the action of the springs F The narrowing then goes on, as above described. \Vhen this has gone 011 for a sufficient time, the lever J is released and the widening-cam is brought into operation-- the free end of said lever away from the cylinder, the said lever J 5 being springy, and as it is forced in between the lever J and the commence the operation of narrowing, the le-' eration, while the narrowing-cams are allowed as follows, supposing the machine to be workthat is, if it be desiredto widen immediately after narrowing, which is the rule in many cases. Thus the cams F and F are thrown out and the cam G acts, as described, to throw the needles again onto their track.

We nonot wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact construction shown and described, as many details might be varied by the exercise of mechanical skill without departing from the spirit of our invention.

It is evident, for instance, that the spring acting on the lever between the widening and the narrowing cams may tend to lower either one or the other of the ends of said lever without detracting from the essential principle of the invention. The widening and the narrowing cams need not be separated by the entire semi-circumference of the outer cylinder, as shown, but may just as well be brought nearer together, as this implies merely a change in relative position.

In case it is desired to work with a portion of the needles continuously for anylength of time and for successive rows, the lever will be thrown onto the levers of the narrowingcams, and the hanger will be brought simultaneously into the vertical position by any means desired independently of the lever.

hat we claim is- 1. In a knitting-machine, a guard-cam having wings with square shoulders and narrowing-cams at the sides thereof and under said wings, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a knitting-machine, a cam-cylinder having slots and a guard-cam between said slots, combined with narrowing-cams, pins projecting through said slots, and the springactuated levers on the outside of the camcylinder, substantially as specified.

3. In a knitting-machine, a guard-cam, a.

stitch-cam under the same, and triangular narrowing-cams at the sides of said stitch-cam, substantially as specified.

at. In a knitting-machine, a guard-cam having wings, a stitch-cam under the same, and triangular narrowing-cams at the sides of said stitch-cam, substantially as described.

5. In a knitting-machine, a cam-cylinder having a curved slot therein, a lever pivoted to the outside of said cylinder, apin on said lever projecting through said slot, and a cam on the end of said pin, in combination with a spring attached to the cylinder and bearing against the pin end of said lever farthest from the fixed end of the spring, substantially as described.

6. In a knitting-machine, a cam-cylinder having a curved slot therein, a lever pivoted to the outside of said cylinder, a pin on said lever projecting through said slot and bearing a narrowing-cam, and a pin on the other end of said lever and havinga spring thereon for the purpose of keeping said pin against the cylinder, in combination with a spring attached to the cylinder and bearing against the cam-carrying end of said lever, substantially as described.

7. In a knitting-machine, the guide-cam O, the raising-cam D, and the tilting narrowingcam F, in combination with a stitch-cam and the cam E, normally in contact with said stitch-cam, substantially as described.

8. In a knitting-machine, a cam-cylinder, a fixed guide-cam 0 within the same, a tilting narrowing-cam also within. the same, and a fixed stitch-cam, in combination with a pivoted raising-cam D, having a spring fixed to the pivot thereof, and a pivoted cam E, having a spring fixed to the pivot thereof and.

tending to keep it in contact with the stitching-cam, substantially as described.

9. In a knitting-machine, a cam-cylinder bearinga guard G and having a slot therein under said guard, in combination with the hanger G a pin extending through said slot, and a cam for widening attached to said pin and arranged to swing under said guard, substantially as described.

10. In a circular-knitting machine, a camcylinder having a curved slot therein, a slotted plate fitting over said slot on said cylinder and having a guard G thereon, and a hanger pivoted to said plate, in combination with a pin attached to said hanger and extending through said slots and a wideningcam attached to the end of said pin and adapted to swing in said slots under said guard, substantially as described.

11. In a circular-knitting machine, a camcylinder having a curved slot therein, a slotted plate attached thereto, a guard on said plate, a hanger pivoted to the outside of said plate, and a swinging pin pivotally attached to said hanger, in combination with the pivothead and a spring thereon and a pin projecting from said hanger and extending through said slots and carrying a swinging wideningcam, substantially as described.

12. In a circular-knitting machine, a hanger, a pivoted head, a cam -cylinder having a curved slot therein, a'plate attached thereto and having a slot registering with said slotin the cylinder, a guard on said plate, and a spring-acuated pin pivotally attached to the end of said hanger and working in said head, in combination with a pin attached to the end of said hanger and extending through said slots and a wideningcam having beaks attached to said pin and adapted to be swung under said guard, substantially as described.

18. In a circular-knitting machine, a widening-cam swinging on a hanger on one side of the machine, narrowing-cams, and their carrying-levers, in combination with a lever pivoted between the widening and narrowing cams, and having the pins K K, and adapted to be brought into contact with said hanger and said levers successively, substantially as described.

14. In a circular-knitting machine, a widening-cam swinging 011 a hanger on one side of the machine, the narrowing-cams, their carrying-levers, and the pins K and K, in combination with a lever pivoted to the machine between these cams and having a spring upon its pivot, whereby it is kept normally in contact with the levers of the narrowing-cams, substantially as described.

15. In a circular-knitting machine, a Widening-cam swinging on a hanger on one side of the machine, the narrowing-cams, their carrying-levers, and the pins K and K, in combination with a lever pivoted to the machine between these cams and a spring on the pivot of and acting on said lever, substantiallyas described.

16. In a circular knitting machine, a Widening-cam swinging on a hanger on one side of the machine, the narrowing-cams, and their carrying-levers, in combination with a lever pivoted between them, and pins adapted to be brought into contact With said lever and hanger successively, substantially as de scribed.

17. In a circular-knitting machine, a'widenin g-cam swinging on the hanger on one side of the machine, a narrowing-cam pivoted to a lever 011 the other side of the machine, a second narrowing-cam, and carrying-levers for both narrowing-cams combined with a lever pivoted between them to hold the narrowing-cams out of action, the pins K K, the lever J and a spring on the pivot of the firstmentioned lever, arranged to act substantially as described.

18. In a circular-knittin g machine, a Widening-cam swinging on a hanger on one side of the machine and a narrowing-cam pivoted to the other side of the same, in combination with a second narrowing-cam, carrying-levers of both narrowing-cams, a lever pivoted be- ,throvving thefilever and the pins on the ends of the same into contact with the hanger and cam-lever, respectively, substantially as described. 19. In a knitting-machine, a hanger carrying a widening-cam, in combination with a pivot-head and a spring-actuated pin pivoted In testimony whereof e affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

ELIHU LIPPITT. WILLIAM POPE.

'Witnesses:

O. A. LINN, ISAAC CAHILL.

tween them, and carrying pins, and a lever for i to said 'hanger sttbstantiail v as descrioed'r' 

